Ecstatic Agendas

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“Don’t ask for guarantees. And don’t look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore.” – Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451.

It’s been around half a year since my last post – I have my reasons, most of which don’t need to concern us here. But one of those reasons is that I have been working as hard and as fast as I can on a publishing project which is about an inch and three quarters from completion! More on that in my next missive, which will hopefully come in about a week’s time. For now I want to belatedly address the ongoing erasure of knowledge perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klowntown of the Trump criminal syndicate.

If you’re as old as me and/or as big a nerd, you’ll likely remember the 1983 TV miniseries “V”, a still from which is pictured at top. In that classic of celluloid media, an alien race arrives on Earth and quickly takes control of the planet through propaganda, disinformation, and infiltration of world governments. The spray painted letter V on the poster above is One of the series’ most iconic scenes, in which an elderly Jewish man (a survivor of the Nazi holocaust) shows some kids the proper way to deface the poster.

[ You can watch the scene here ]

One of the aliens’ first moves is to discredit Earth’s scientific community, leading to widespread blacklistings and incarcerations. I don’t want to belabor the point, just draw parallels with the current regime’s attacks on knowledge and the critical expertise that has functioned behind the scenes for decades to keep our nation, and many around the world, safe from all manner of illnesses, disasters, terror attacks and more. That golden era of American know-how has come to an end. Maybe a new one will dawn in our lifetimes, maybe not. But make no mistake: the destruction of knowledge that has been perpetrated since January 20th of this year is not easily reversed. It must, gods willing, be rebuilt; and that eventuality is far from certain.

I won’t ramble much longer here, but before I end this rant I want to share my own personal experience with erasure. It is quite minimal compared to the disruptions that many thousands of good people are experiencing, but I think it is valuable for those readers who didn’t think they know anyone to whom this has happened.

My first brush with data suppression was just a month or so before I graduated from the MS program I was completing. The EPA hosted a website called EJ Screen – a mapping tool by which one could determine environmental contaminants, block by block, across the US. It was an extremely useful tool for my research into urban ecology and community safety. In late January or maybe early February I made a joke – half joke – to my classmates that if anyone needed such data, they’d better gather it now before the site was taken down by President Dogshit’s teen sociopaths. I took my own advice, and downloaded a lot of graphs and data on the Eastside Portland neighborhoods I was studying.

Lo and behold – by the next week’s class meeting, I had to announce that EJ Screen had, in fact, been erased from existence along with the decades of crucial public health data it contained.

That was my first personal encounter with data erasure; the second came after I graduated. Like many of us, I keep a professional profile on the career-centered social media network Linked In. part of that profile is a section that lists my professional certifications of which I have earned several from the soon- to- be-“unalived” Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA’s free online class modules are an incredible educational treasure trove on numerous topics and are as of now still open to both Emergency Management professionals and the general public. I have earned six – but my Linked In profile only shows five. The missing one – Fundamentals of Climate Science, has been scrubbed from FEMA’s website. But that apparently wasn’t enough for the mayo-encrusted Trumpist regime, because the certificate listing on my profile has also disappeared. Luckily I downloaded copies of my certificates from FEMA’s site before that happened, so I have some ability to verify the work and study I invested in the program. If President Dogshit had his way, my hard work – the credential I earned – would be gone forever.

As I said, these are very minor setbacks to me personally. It’s a shame that the federal databases have been plundered and censored in such a crude and egregious manner, but the much of the data was siphoned off into other formats by forward-thinking federal employees before it could be burned. A partial facsimile of EJ Screen exists here and I encourage you to use it! It can be a bit tricky to navigate at first if one is not versed in GIS type interfaces, but play around and you’ll be surprised what you can teach yourself. As for my Climate Science credential, I still have my own copy of the certificate which I will post below, as well as the paper I wrote for my university’s Independent Study credit. I hope you will enjoy reading that, and think hard about what you personally can do to make the world a little less horrible in the little part where you find yourself.

Yours in the quintessence, Jason Triefenbach HFHR

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Foundations of Climate Science: a review of FEMA’s independent study course, and a synthesis with Urban Green Space literature.

Jason Triefenbach

Introduction

This paper responds to IS-1400: Foundations of Climate Science, offered by FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute. Following a synopsis and commentary, I reference my concurrent research on inequities in urban green space and public health, in order to consider how the impacts of climate change and the environmental injustices inherent in the modern city can be approached as a compound problematic regime.  I conclude with the beginnings of a possible framework for solution- seeking ideas.

Foundations of Climate Science is the 5th independent study course I’ve taken with the EMI and so far it offers the most thorough examination of Earth’s natural processes and how they relate to the many human – natural hazards faced by populations across the globe.  The course gives a fairly detailed overview of the basics of climate science before tackling the subject of anthropogenic climate change and the many effects on the field of emergency management.  Particular attention is paid to how climate change – related hazards have a compounding effect on communities made vulnerable by systemic racism and inequities in the provision of public services and healthcare outcomes.

Coursework

Ecological Imperatives

IS-1400 defined and contrasted short term Weather with long term patterns that make up Climate, and discussed the component parts of the planetary system: Atmosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Lithosphere and the Biosphere, that part of the Earth where life exists. The curriculum explained the difference between an Ecosystem, areas of interactive organisms, relationships, communities and populations and their immediate environment, and a Biome, “a region of vegetation and the associated animal community comprised of ecosystems in a given geographical area with distinctive climate, vegetation, and animal population.” Within this biogeophysical context, the course defines climate change as gradual change in the totality of interconnected planetary weather elements over long periods of time. It’s noted that observable warming since the Industrial Revolution is not explained by natural occurrences but that, rather, the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation activities by humans have unleashed vast imbalances in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, disrupting the thermal balance of the planet. 

Anthropogenic climate change influences the frequency and intensity of natural hazards through a variety of factors: extreme heat events, changes in storm patterns, alterations to precipitation patterns resulting in both flooding events and droughts, and rising sea levels from melting polar ice caps and glaciers that exacerbate coastline erosion, flooding of coastal communities, and contamination of freshwater supplies with salinated water. Methane gas released through permafrost thaw also contributes to further warming of the planet. Shifts in ecology and loss of crucial habitats have cascading effects as well.  All of these things exacerbate the frequency and intensity of natural disasters, posing significant risks to human communities and ecosystem health. Adaptation and mitigation efforts are crucial to soften these blows as much as possible by building greater resilience in coupled human – natural systems.

Social Inequities and Barriers to Resilience

The intersecting impacts of climate change on food production, human health, disease transmission and susceptibility, damages to ecosystems and infrastructures, and more are distributed unevenly among different sectors of society, communities, neighborhoods and individuals. Multiple overlapping inequities compound vulnerability to hazards and worsen outcomes for populations minoritized by economic status, race, ethnicity, language, geographic location, and access to resources. In the United States, examples include Low-Income Urban Communities, Rural Communities, Communities of Color, Indigenous and Native American Communities, Immigrant and Refugee Communities, Communities Affected by Environmental Injustice, People with Disabilities, and LGBTQ+ Communities all of whom, collectively, suffer from high poverty rates, inadequate housing and green spaces, disparities in access to quality education, lack of quality healthcare resources, limited and inequitable employment opportunities, lack of transportation and infrastructure, language barriers and challenges in preserving cultural heritage, systemic barriers, adverse health effects disproportionately impacting low-income and minority communities, discrimination, unequal treatment, and limited access to inclusive services. Additionally, the curriculum lists vulnerabilities specific to US territories: vulnerability to hurricanes and other severe weather events, disparities in healthcare, education, and economic opportunities, infrastructure challenges, geographic isolation, and unique environmental concerns. This multiplicity of factors creates drastically heightened disadvantage across a great number of intersectional demographic groups. Responding to the specific challenges, capabilities, and motivations of these different groups calls for targeted interventions and policy decisions that promote greater equity.

This course was quite helpful in bringing my recent Environmental Science Management scholarship into clearer alignment with the concerns and responsibilities of Emergency Management and Community Resilience.  Anthropogenic climate change increases risks associated with extreme heat, drought, wildfires, severe coastal storms, inland flooding, landslides, and more. The Emergency Management (EM) community is challenged by more severe, frequent, widespread, and costly disasters which affect all phases of the Disaster Management Cycle, which the course addresses as Preparedness, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery. 

The course echoes other FEMA EMI lessons as well as Portland State University’s EMCR curriculum by addressing strategies for building resilience Before, During, and After a disaster. Qualities listed as key to strong individual and community resilience are Adaptability, Resourcefulness, Preparedness, Social Support, Flexibility, Positive Outlook and Learning from Experience. Before the event, responsibilities include Assessment, Communication, Community Engagement. During the disaster, priorities are Coordination, Direct Response, and Resource Mgmt. After the acute phase of the emergency, duties of the emergency management apparatus are Rapid assessment, recovery, support, infrastructure repair, and adaptation to new norms.

Management planning that considers unstable and unpredictable climate conditions will by necessity impact city planning, building codes, infrastructural updates,  and development of better early warning systems.  In this dynamic hazards landscape, it is crucial to build more robust and widespread awareness and preparedness by engaging in education, outreach, and knowledge sharing with communities everywhere on the evolving risks associated with climate change.

The course’s focus on equity dovetails with my current research on Environmental Justice and Public Parks, as well as green infrastructures, public health, and ecological pathways to resilience. As IS-1400 explains, equity in emergency management refers to practices and policies – indeed the cultural philosophy of management structures – that center Inclusivity, Fair Distribution of Resources, Community Engagement, Cultural Competence, Accessibility, Proactive Mitigation, Social and Economic Justice, Equitable Response and Recovery, Data Equity, and Intersectionality. The course teaches that an equitable approach to emergency management means tailoring support to diverse needs, addressing disparities in access, and promoting inclusion by prioritizing vulnerable populations. Equity means treating all people and communities fairly in the allocation and provision of resources and services when preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disasters or emergencies. This includes addressing social disparities to make sure that marginalized communities don’t bear a disproportionate impact from a disaster or emergency. Ongoing education and community partnerships, and a proactive approach in emergency management, will better support vulnerable populations and regions vulnerable to the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, exacerbated by climate change.

Synthesis and Discussion

My concurrent literature review shows, across multiple studies, that marginalized communities have significantly lower access to high quality park acreage within single sites and across regional and national scales and multiple cities. Social deficits and ecological degradation form a feedback loop of sorts; social processes cause environmental degradation, and environmental degradation lessens the quality of life and public health and safety of affected populations.  That full literature paper will be submitted as a supplement, but to give a short sampling: (Taylor et al., 2007) concludes that Environmental Justice is a useful framework within which to facilitate collaborative research between Public Health and Parks and Recreation professionals in order to improve physical activity and public health outcomes for minoritized populations, who are shown to suffer from higher rates of stroke, diabetes, obesity, and exhibit lower lifespans than white and higher- income populations. (Chiesura, 2004) reminds the reader that, “Besides the many environmental and ecological services, urban nature provides important social and psychological benefits to human societies, which enrich human life with meanings and emotions”, and (Wolch et al 2014) proposes widely distributed small scale greening projects that would coincide with housing initiatives and rent stabilization policies.

 Taken together, these three examples begin to outline a logical sequence that points, perhaps, towards urban greening as a multidimensional, inclusive, and intersectional realm of potential solutions. I am inspired to devote future research to studying how public health and ecological services interact on both the individual and social scales, with a focus on the health benefits of urban parks and the violations of environmental justice that keep people from said benefits. However, it is concrete action that will bring about needed changes. I would like not only to contribute something meaningful to the research discourse but also to have formulated some practical applications that can be tested for deployment to the city at large.

Critical heat events, flooding, physical and mental health disparities, habitat fragmentation, and civic disengagement all reveal the modern city as an environment that is unfriendly to the development of resilient communities prepared to weather the effects of climate change and to competently adapt to increasing environmental instability. As the idea of “green infrastructure” has become more mainstreamed in the discourse around water utilities, urban ecosystems, and public safety, it is my supposition that sustainable, equitable, heterogenous, and community- driven expansions and enhancements to urban green space will have the potential to solve many of the climate change – triggered risks and hazards of the coming century. If natural space weren’t something that one has to travel to, but rather a given condition of the lived environment, physical and emotional disconnection from recreational and holistic benefits of “parkland” might be more easily understood, and appropriate greening interwoven with the social fabric of the city.  

Conclusion: 

The conditions and driving forces of contemporary urban green space touch on biogeophysical and social deficits and, in my mind at least, begin to hint at possibilities and justifications for building more interconnected green urban infrastructures.  As the consequences of anthropogenic climate change become ever more impactful upon the lives of human communities in the US and beyond, humanity is faced with what we might refer to as a compound problematic regime.  Urban greening initiatives have the potential to help mitigate some of the increasingly erratic risks and hazards that face both human and more-than-human urban populations. 

Citations

IS-1400: Foundations of Climate Science. Emergency Management Institute. Online Independent Study Course, Federal Emergency Management  Agency. https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-1400&lang=en

Environmental Justice: a framework for collaboration between the Public Health and Parks and Recreation Fields to study disparities in physical activity.  Wendel C. Taylor, Myron F. Floyd, Melicia C. Whitt-Glover, and Joseph (Jody) Brooks. 2007, Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 4, Supp 1, S50-S63. Human Kinetics, Inc.

The role of urban parks for the sustainability of cities. A. Chiesura. 2004, The Sustainable City III, Ed. N. MarchettiniC. A. Brebia, E. Tiezzi and L. C. Wadhwa. P 335 – 344. WIT Press.

Urban green space, public health, and environmental justice: The challenge of making cities “just green enough”. Jennifer R. Wolch, Jason Byrne, Joshua P. Newell. 2014, Landscape and Urban Planning 125. p 234 – 244.

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Jason is an artist, writer, and non-denominational minister with a garden and a lifelong interest in lurking around the Occult/ Paranormal shelves in bookstores worldwide. They hold a Master of Science in Emergency Management and Community Resilience from Portland University, with a field specialization in Natural Systems, Sustainability, and Resilience. As Sun Duel they record and sometimes perform music with a variety of friends and loved ones.  www.linktr.ee/JWT9000